Pacifier Holder?

My son had his 2 month checkup today which included shots. I was very surprised at how well he handled this experience. He received 3 shots and only screamed once. The nurse gave him his first shot and he took a big breath to scream. I thought "Oh boy, here it comes". She gave him his second shot and his face was bright red, his mouth wide open, looking like he was going to scream, for real this time! On his third shot his lips were turning blue-he has been holding that initial breath he took. Finally he let loose one loud scream and was all better once he was in my arms.

I am surprised he didn't let loose a giant blood-curdling scream that started a 10 minute crying session. The reason is because of a prior experience I have had with a crying fit of his. My husband and I were trying to relax with our son on the couch and unwind. The babe had just eaten, had a clean diaper, was wearing his sleeper, mittens, and a hat. Through all the comforts he was still screaming at us. We went down the "checklist" of possible reasons for his obvious discomfort, eliminated them all, and he still wouldn't relax. As a last resort I look at my husband and say "maybe we should take his hat off, he might be too hot." Off comes the hat and out tumble 3 pacifiers. Imagine that! Apparently my husband was the one who put the pacifiers in the hat because he was cleaning out the crib. He forgot they were in there and that is the hat that unfortunately ended up on his head that day.

Moral of the story: If nothing else works to calm a fussy baby, check his hat for pacifiers. Those can get quite uncomfortable in there. ;)

Two Months!?

I can't believe it has been two months already. My little "Grunter" is developing a personality. He is no longer a newborn but has blossomed into a baby, my son. It is quite amazing actually to see how much they change-and how quickly! He is smiling and giggling although he's quite the tough crowd. He won't give away his appreciation for antics cheap. It needs to be truly amazing for this guy. I however, am quite cheap! I laugh at every-I mean EVERY-little thing he does. He pukes on me, I laugh. He farts like a man, hilarious. He talks/grunts all night in his sleep, strangely enough, I love the sound. He is a loud sleeper but I can't complain too much. For the past two weeks he has been sleeping from 9:30 pm until 5:30 am. We are on a schedule. Hallelujah!

He goes to the Dr. tomorrow for shots. I hear it's harder for the parents than for the baby. I hope he doesn't cry too much.

Tasty Finger Food for your Little Dude (or Dudette)

MLO has become increasingly picky. In bygone days he would eat nearly anything you put in his mouth with only a brief analyzation trial period (as in seconds) for new foods. Since beginning table foods (the non-pureed version of what we've been feeding him) his tastes have become much more discerning. Whole peas? Blegh. Chopped broccoli? Blegh. Chopped carrot? Blegh. Dude! You ate these no problem when they were pureed. WTF?

I've noticed that the pickiness seems to reach it's height at dinner time. At lunch he will gladly munch more than a few cubes of steamed diced carrot but when dinner rolls around, forget about it. It seems that the progression to tolerating the new textures and demands of table foods requires a well rested, and thus patient, baby. It also seems that this process is a long one (at least in our case).

So against my better judgement, but due to my insatiable curiosity and penchant for culinary optimism, I'm going to introduce a new table food tonight. The baked then pureed or even just scooped version of sweet potatoes is a go-to, sure fire, baby pleasing staple in this house. Lets see what he thinks of SWEET POTATO FRIES.

The Recipe

• Approximately (~) 1 pound of medium sweet potatoes halved, then sliced into ~1/4 inch strips. Turn the strips on their sides and slice again to the same dimension.
•  2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil
•  A generous sprinkling of Italian Seasoning
•  A similarly generous sprinkling of garlic powder
•  One more generous sprinkling of fresh ground pepper

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place sweet potatoes in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Add seasonings and mix the sweet potatoes until coated. It's best to use your hands here to ensure the fries are covered with oil. Place the fries in one layer on a lined or lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the sheet and flip the fries over (a spatula works great). Bake them for 15 minutes or so; you want them to brown. It's ok if some of the ends get black, but they just aren't very nummy when the whole batch is that way: trust me.


I like this idea because the fries are salt free, oiled with nutritious and tasty olive oil, and baked instead of fried. They are a good size for little hands, and at the very least, a novelty. They are tasty as-is for grown-ups, too, which make them a wonderful side dish for the whole family to share.

I'll let you guys know how it turns out tonight. If he doesn't like them, I'm sure I'll find someone who'll eat them....

The Darkside: When you can't defeat it, eat it!

Yeah, that's right. I made Star Wars themed teething biscuits. Recipe courtesy of Courtney Russell, Wonder Time, Feb 2009 and cookie cutters courtesy of Williams Sonoma. If you don't like my nerdiness, you can suck it. No, seriously, they are made for people without teeth. Enjoy.

Breastfeeding is not easy

Do you realize how freaked out I was to be bringing my baby home from the hospital? Honestly, VERY freaked out. I had no idea what to do with him. My stay in the hospital was more confusing than helpful. We were there 3 days and nights and received conflicting advice on breastfeeding from all the nurses and doctors. It was like no one knew the "right" answer and they all told me different things.

You may be wondering why we were in the hospital so long. Long story. I will try to give you the shorter version. When baby was born both of us had fevers 100.4 him and 100.7 me. The staff wanted to keep us 48 hours just to be sure we didn't have infections. Neither of us did. We were fine. During the extended stay I was having some difficulties breastfeeding. Now to all of you out there, please don't go in with the preconceived notion that breastfeeding is easy and will "just happen". It isn't and it won't. It is an art that has to be learned by both mommy and baby. Had I known that, it would have saved me some frustrations. I saw 5 different lactation consultants during my stay, and all gave me great advice on positioning, but none were any help in the latching on department. My baby will not latch on, and maybe there is no advice to be given that will help with that. I had one nurse who was wonderful in every way except for helping with breastfeeding. When he would show hunger cues she would always try to help me. He would get frustrated and angry and she was forcefully shoving his face into my boob. I think that actually traumatized him a little. I asked what my options were (supplementing with formula, getting a nipple shield, etc.) and got no help from anyone. My baby was not getting any nutrition at all. He wasn't peeing or pooping because nothing was going in. We were stuck at the hospital until he went poop. He pooped 4 times the first day and nothing on the second or third. On the third day I finally got through to one of the doctors that he needed some form of food. FINALLY, I got a few bottles of formula for him. One nurse told me to only give him 10mL and the doctor told me 20mL. Not even one ounce!!! My mom was visiting us and wanted to feed him. She gave him the whole 2 ounces. Way more than was recommended. I was a little worried, but hey, he ate it and didn't seem to be in any pain. That night he finally pooped and we got to leave, at midnight. Once I got home, every time I would expose my breast to try and feed him, he would scream bloody murder. Lucky for me I went ahead and bought a breast pump before he was due. I got the Ameda Purely Yours, and I love it. Pumping was going fine, but I decided I wanted to try breastfeeding again for the convenience of not having to tote bottles around everywhere I go. My mom suggested a nipple shield. For those who may not know, a nipple shield is a piece of silicone shaped like a bottle nipple that sits on top of your nipple and the baby sucks on that. It works wonders for me. I am now breastfeeding with the help of the nipple shield. Maybe one day I will be able to do it "bareback" or bare-nipple if you will. Until then.............

Party

Today marks 1 month until MLO turns 1. As this milestone approaches I've been toying with the idea of throwing a birthday party. I recall that several months ago I listened to two mothers discussing plans for their little ones' first birthday parties. At the time it seemed strange: sending out invitations, baking a cake, finding a place to have the party. I felt like some big party in honor of a 1 year old was somehow over indulgent and was really more a chance for the parents to show off than for their child. I mean, the kid is turning 1. He isn't even talking yet. He isn't going to get it. The fancy invitations and elaborate themed decorations only serve to show how much money you can blow.

As our own baby has grown, my view of the 1st birthday party has softened. As a friend of mine pointed out, this milestone is about the parents, too. Having a party in honor of our first year as parents is legitimate. We've worked really hard, harder than we've ever worked before. I sacrificed my body's autonomy, we've sacrificed sleep, sanity, togetherness as a couple, patience, evenings out, weekends away. We've depended on (and sometimes barely tolerated) the support and advice of our friends and families. Our lives have changed in innumerable ways, and we've come out stronger because of it. Hubby and I had never before known such joy. So I think a party is in order. Maybe not with fancy invitations and decorations. I can't afford that. No, I think a potluck lunch in the backyard with all those people that have helped us out is the way to go. I want to bring the people together that love our little family. I want to celebrate our first year as parents, our son's first year of life, and all the people that have supported us through this monumental change.